When could it snow in Central Illinois?

Peoria, Ill. (WMBD) — As the days get shorter, temperatures get cooler and the foliage begins to change colors, its a sign of the inevitable…winter is coming.

Okay, that was cheesy.

However, the changing seasons and cooler temperatures are a sign that winter and our first snow are only a few months away. There’s no way to know exactly when we’ll see that first snow, but by looking back at what has happened in the past, we can get a good idea as to when the first flakes might fly.

The odds are that most of Central Illinois will make another two and a half months before seeing the first measurable snow of the season and three months before we need to find those shovels. Here’s a look back at a number of stats for Central Illinois communities and what we see on average.

Average date of first measurable snow (>=0.1″)

LOCATION	DATE
Peoria	November 26th
Normal	November 30th
Galesburg	November 29th
Havana	December 3rd
Lacon	November 23rd
Lincoln	November 27th
Princeville	November 26th
Yates City	December 2nd

Based on 1991-2020 Normals. NOTE: many of these sites have incomplete data records.

Average date of first 1.0″ snow

LOCATION	DATE
Peoria	December 7th
Normal	December 9th
Galesburg	December 3rd
Havana	December 8th
Lacon	December 4th
Lincoln	December 12th
Princeville	December 3rd
Yates City	December 4th

Based on 1991-2020 Normals. NOTE: many of these sites have incomplete data records.

Seasonal snowfall stats

LOCATION	AVERAGE (1991-2020)	MAXIMUM	MINIMUM
Peoria	25.9″	57.6″ (2014)	7.8″ (1966)
Normal	19.5″	57.8″ (1960)	5.1″ (1995)
Galesburg	23.6″	49.5″ (1960)	5.1″ (1966)
Havana	26.1″	49.5″ (1979)	8.2″ (2009)
Lacon	23.0″	44.2″ (1960)	4.8″ (1966)
Lincoln *	24.4″	46.3″ (2014)	7.0″ (2012)
Princeville **	19.1″	44.3″ (1957)	0.8″ (1966)
Yates City ***	21.7″	38.5″ (2010)	12.5″ (2003)

NOTE: many of these sites have incomplete data records.
* Data records are between 2007-2022
** Data records are between 1904-2013
*** Data records are between 1995-2022

First measurable snowfall of the season in Peoria for the last ten years

YEAR	DATE	AMOUNT
2021	December 28th	2.7″
2020	November 24th	0.2″
2019	October 29th	0.1″
2018	November 8th	0.4″
2017	December 24th	3.1″
2016	December 4th	4.2″
2015	November 21st	4.6″
2014	November 13th	0.1″
2013	November 11th	0.5″
2012	December 20th	2.2″

When was the earliest measurable snow on record?

This is a stat that many may find surprising but Central Illinois’ earliest snowfall on record happened on September 25th, 1942. Here are some of the snowfall reports from that event.